deployment_guide.md

Deployment Guide for Educational Research Methods Chatbot

This guide provides instructions for deploying the Educational Research Methods Chatbot as a permanent website.

Prerequisites

• Docker and Docker Compose installed on the host machine
• An OpenAI API key for Command R+ access
• A server or cloud provider for hosting the containerized application

Deployment Options

Option 1: Deploy to a Cloud Provider (Recommended)

1. Set up a cloud instance:

   • AWS EC2
   • Google Cloud Compute Engine
   • DigitalOcean Droplet
   • Azure Virtual Machine

2. Install Docker and Docker Compose on the instance

3. Upload the application files to the instance

4. Set environment variables:

   export OPENAI_API_KEY=your_api_key_here
   

5. Build and start the containers:

   cd research_methods_chatbot
   docker-compose -f deployment/docker-compose.yml up -d
   

6. Configure a domain name (optional):

   • Purchase a domain name from a registrar
   • Point the domain to your server's IP address
   • Set up SSL with Let's Encrypt

Option 2: Deploy to a Static Hosting Service

For a simpler deployment with limited functionality:

1. Modify the frontend to use a separate API endpoint
2. Deploy the frontend to a static hosting service (GitHub Pages, Netlify, Vercel)
3. Deploy the backend to a serverless platform (AWS Lambda, Google Cloud Functions)

Maintenance

• Monitoring: Set up monitoring for the application to ensure it remains operational
• Updates: Periodically update dependencies and the LLM model
• Backups: Regularly backup any persistent data

Security Considerations

• API Key: Keep your OpenAI API key secure
• Rate Limiting: Implement rate limiting to prevent abuse
• Input Validation: Ensure all user inputs are properly validated

Scaling

If the application receives high traffic:

1. Horizontal Scaling: Deploy multiple instances behind a load balancer
2. Caching: Implement caching for common queries
3. Database Optimization: Optimize the vector database for faster retrieval

Troubleshooting

• Container Issues: Check Docker logs with docker logs container_name
• API Errors: Verify your OpenAI API key is valid and has sufficient credits
• Performance Problems: Monitor resource usage and scale as needed